


KHRMA Reports

by Nochi



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Bad Puns, EPA adventures, Eventual crossdressing, Gen, OFC - Freeform, Original Character - Freeform, long-suffering Pokemon partners, vague hints at backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2018-08-10 13:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7846516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nochi/pseuds/Nochi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The loosely-connected adventures of Nora, KHRMA agent, and her big Blastoise partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THE PREMISE: Inspired mostly by the Alterity nuzlocke comic (alterity.wittastic.org). There is a version of the EPA called the Kanto Habitat Research and Maintenance Agency (KHRMA, usually pronounced like “karma”). While their main job is to make sure trainers aren’t depleting native populations of Pokemon, they also get into things like stopping dumping of unwanted Pokemon in areas they shouldn’t be in, relocating populations when they outgrow their current habitat, and identifying dangers to Pokemon and people alike. There’s a bunch of other fiddly details I haven’t quite cemented yet, and will probably do so in the stories themselves. 
> 
> I picked Kanto because it’s the gen I’m most familiar with and therefore the easiest and most fun to write about. And I promise this will be the only chapter with this long of a note.

Nora laid a hand on her Blastoise’s shell, surveying the crater before them.

“What’re you thinking?” she asked quietly. Ace grunted a little.

“Someone ditched a lot of Koffing here,” he rumbled. “You can tell by the smell.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything,” she admitted. “In case it was you.” That got her a snort. “So...someone trying to hide that they’re a gross jerk drops a bunch of noxious Pokemon in range of a...what Fire-types are even around here?”

“Ponyta. Vulpix.”

“Yeah, that’d do it.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “They blow up, make a nice new rainwater deposit. And we gotta figure out who did it.” An affirmative grunt. “You know, I didn’t sign up with KHRMA to deal with _people_.”

“People are usually the reason we have to relocate Pokemon.”

“Exactly. Bipedal paperwork generators, the lot of them.” She sighed again. “It’s late. We’ll go into town and start flashing badges tomorrow.”

* * *

A loud noise in the trees woke Nora some hours later. She sat up, reaching out in the dark to find Ace’s shell, rapidly tapping it to wake him up. His head emerged, eyes bleary. “What’s wrong?”

“I hear something,” she hissed, as metallic clanking noises cut through the forest. “Son of a Bisharp, they’re doing it again.”

The pair took off through the forest, Nora’s flashlight beam bouncing wildly, and crashed out of the trees near the crater. A man had a trailer backed up to the crater, ushering Koffing and a few Weezing out into the depression.

“Kanto Environmental!” Nora bellowed. “What the _hell_ are you doing?!” The man was frozen in the beam of her flashlight, Koffing bobbing behind him, with some turning to see where the noise was coming from. “Do you not see the _crater_? This many Koffing together, you don’t even need an ignition point! Are you trying to blast a hole straight through to Alola?” The man didn’t answer. The Koffing had all floated out of their containment, and he stared down at them. Nora wiggled the flashlight, trying to get his attention back. “Hellooooo?”

He paid her no attention, instead reaching into his pocket and producing a small silver square.

“Ace!” Nora called, and a burst of water completely engulfed the man, bowling him over the edge of the crater. Thankfully the sides weren’t very steep, and he simply rolled to the bottom. A few of the Koffing gurgled in surprise, and Ace moved to guard both himself and Nora with his shell, but they all settled down without anyone going off.

Nora stepped carefully to the edge, peering down at the man. “We could have all gone up,” she muttered. “Is that what happened to the last group? Why - ugh.” She stepped back, looking up at Ace with tired eyes. “Go check on him, see if you can get anything out of the Koffing. Maybe start with the Weezing, they tend to be a little more coherent. I’m gonna go call the cops.”

The big Blastoise did as he was told, and Nora went through the rigmarole of identifying herself and explaining why she was in the woods in the middle of the night. When she hung up, she walked back to the edge of the crater, looking down at her partner.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, bud,” she called. “You’re my - “

“Please don’t.”

“- _Ace in the hole._ ”

Ace just closed his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh, relying on the dark to hide the fact that he was smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

“The ‘Kanto Queen’?” Nora lifted an eyebrow at her colleague, Carly, from across the table.

“Yeah, she pops up every so often, in different regions. All female Pokemon, only battles male trainers."

“Oh, good,” Nora said dryly. “Feminism at work.”

“Gets better,” her friend continued. “She sets herself up as a legit gym. Poor kids who don’t know any better get either mauled or swindled.”

“I don’t think I want to know what the badge looks like.” Carly choked on her drink. “Regardless, this seems like League stuff. Why are we getting memos about it?”

“We don’t know where she’s getting her Pokemon. She never shows up with the same team twice.”

“So unless she’s got a massive warehouse full - fucked up in its own right…”

“She’s dumping her team whenever she gets to a new region,” Carly finished.

“Poor girls,” Nora muttered, picking at her salad.

“If we could find her old team, we could find the Queen.”

“Sounds like it,” Nora sighed. Environmental didn’t exactly have strike teams. The memo had mostly been to warn individual agents that they might come across something dangerously out of place. Pokemon in unfamiliar regions, particularly ones that had been used to battle, could be hostile and destructive, both to others and to themselves. It made Nora see red to think of someone just casually abandoning Pokemon in that state, and incredibly helpless to leave it in another agency’s hands. It was like a prickling sensation in her gut, that made her push her salad aside.

* * *

 

“So let me get this straight,” Ace said, watching Nora struggle into a third tank top. “You’re trying to make yourself look like a prepubescent boy.”

“Correct.”

“To attract the attention of a fake gym leader.”

“Correct.”

“For activities only tangentially related to your job description.” She shot him a look at that point.

“She’s got a suspiciously high team turnover. She’s either dumping or hoarding.”

“Or she’s an urban legend,” Ace muttered, moving his head out of the way so Nora could exit the tent. She laid a hand on his massive knee.

“Sorry, bud. She’s not going to believe I’m a baby trainer with you following me.”

Ace made a low rumble of frustration. “Then at least carry me on your belt.”

Nora gaped at him. “You hate your Pokeball.”

“I hate the idea of you needing me and me not being there more.” Nora smiled up at him, lower lip quivering. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Aaaaaace.”

“No.”

“You _loooove meeeee_.”

“I am charged with your protection.”

Nora wrapped her arms as far around his leg as they’d reach. “I love you too, you big ol’ fire hydrant.” She released him, reaching for his Pokeball. “I’ll try not to take too long.”

“Try harder to be safe.”

“ _Aaaaaace._ ”

“Ugh.”

* * *

 

She elected to carry an Abra with her, a little guy by the name of Poof. Poof rode draped across her back, adding barely any weight to her load.

“I forgot how much easier roads are than forest paths,” she muttered, sighing a little when the sleeping Abra failed to answer.

At that moment a large black-and-yellow blur shot directly in front of her. “Woah, shit!” The blur knocked her over, Poof hastily levitating itself. Nora found herself staring up at a Vespiquen, almost vibrating with anger.

“Hoo boy.” Nora sat up, hands in front of her in an attempt to convey that she wasn’t a threat. “Can you understand me?” The buzzing grew louder, and she chose to take that as an affirmative. “You don’t speak human, do you?” Softer, more cautious buzzing. “Poof, can you…” She glanced back, seeing the little Pokemon fast asleep, about six inches from the ground. Rolling her eyes fondly, she reached for her belt and brought forth a Beedrill. “Can you mediate for me, pal?”

“Of course.” The Beedrill, name of Rudy, faced the Vespiquen and buzzed in a low, comforting tone. “What do you need to know, boss?”

“Ask her if she was abandoned here.”

Buzzing back and forth, and Rudy answered in the affirmative. Nora sighed. “See what you can find out about her former trainer.”

Quiet conversation for a bit, Rudy conveying Nora’s questions and the Vespiquen’s answers, until Nora brought forth an empty Pokeball.

“See if she’s willing to be transferred to KHRMA,” she said softly. “They can take her home, or - “

Seeing the Pokeball, the Vespiquen gave a high-pitched buzz and practically flipped over trying to get back into the trees.

“Wait!” Nora called, but the Pokemon was long gone. Nora gave a long, frustrated sigh, pocketing the Pokeball.

“You don’t want me to go after her?” Rudy asked, head turning in an almost alien manner.

“No, I don’t think that’s gonna make friends. Keep watch, I’m gonna send out a notice.”

It was a quick notice to local agents - _abandoned Vespiquen in area, do not attempt capture_ \- and she was closing her holocaster when Rudy buzzed in alarm. She quickly tucked the device away and stepped onto the main road.

“Why hello there,” came a kind, female voice. “What a strapping young trainer.”

Nora grimmaced, tugging on her cap and willing her voice lower. “Two gyms down.” She tried to sound cocky under the older woman’s predatory gaze.

“How would you like to earn a badge right here?”

_Bingo._ “The next town - “

“You don’t _need_ a town gym. My badge will get you into Victory Road just the same."

“...alright, then.”

* * *

 

They battled right there in the road, Nora praying desperately for no one to walk up on them. She worked her way through the first two battles with Rudy, a Nidorina and a Chansey falling quickly. Nora quietly praised her Pokemon, while a vein appeared in her opponent’s forehead.

“Don’t think it’s going to be that easy,” she muttered, and her next Pokeball revealed a Kangaskhan, stomping and snorting.

Nora recalled Rudy immediately. Just the size difference was a danger for the Beedrill. Good thing she had a big friend who had insisted on tagging along.

“Come on, Ace!” she called. “Let’s finish this.”

“What?” the older trainer shrieked. “How - who - you said - “

“Kanto Queen,” Nora called across the battle. “You are under arrest for abandoning Pokemon and suspicion of Pokemon dumping, regional Pokemon displacement, and more than a few League charges you’ll have to take up with them.”

“You _tricked_ me!”

“Yeah, the view sucks from the other side, don’t it.” The Kangaskhan was not attacking Ace, and was in fact eyeballing her own trainer.

“Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated,” Ace rumbled.

So the Kangaskahn picked up the Kanto Queen and deposited her into her pouch.

* * *

 

That was the scene League officials, police, and Carly came upon once Nora had stopped laughing long enough to call them.

“‘League stuff’, eh?” Carly asked, standing next to Nora and Ace.

“What can I say? I am overly dedicated to my job.” Nora had a very satisfied look on her face, watching the Kangaskahn carefully hand over the (incredibly irate) Kanto Queen.

“Okay, I guess the better question is, how did this plan get past _you_?” Carly posed the question to Ace, who blinked down at her.

“Nora is my trainer. I do as I’m told.”

“Tauroshit.” Carly smiled. “You wanted her taken out too.”

Ace said nothing and did not change his expression.

Nora nudged his leg. “You love me.”

“Hrgh.”


	3. Hydrophobia

“Stop complaining.”

“This is not why I joined KHRMA.”

“But it’s what KHRMA is telling you to do. So stop complaining.”

“You could do it and I could sign it.”

“That’s fraud. And laziness.”

“Ugh.” Nora pulled the cowl of the wetsuit over her head, grimacing. “I feel like a freeze-dried sausage.”

“That’s pretty much what all humans look like to me,” Ace rumbled. Nora did her best to kick him in the knee while wearing flippers.

“I hate counting fish,” she grumbled, hauling the scuba apparatus onto her back. “They don’t sit still and I lose count and it’s _Magikarp_ , does anybody really think we’re in danger of losing _Magikarp_.”

“You won’t be under long,” Ace said quietly. “And I’ll be right here.”

Nora didn’t look at him, just muttered something that sounded vaguely grateful, and settled her goggles over her eyes. A couple of quick breaths from the mouthpiece and she waded out into the river, squeezing her eyes shut, and slipped under the surface.

* * *

 

Usually, once she was under the water, she could forget that she was _underwater_. It was a VR game or something, where she had to move her limbs weirdly to get to the places she was going. And it was beautiful, the sunlight filtering through the water giving everything a dreamlike quality, the colors both more vibrant and somehow blurred together.

She gave a quick sigh, a little flurry of bubbles, and set about her job.

A few clustered schools of Magikarp were near her, and she wrote quick estimates of their numbers in her little waterproof PDA. Spinning in slow circles, looking for more schools, she didn’t see the Seaking approaching, and when she flipped around she dragged her arm across its horn. Her suit tore, a thin stream of blood floating upwards, and she barely had time to register the pain before the Pokemon was giving a startled cry and charging her with purpose.

_Shit,_ was the single thought that crossed her mind before she scrabbled at her belt for her Pokeballs, but the Seaking slammed bodily into her, thankfully avoiding another stabbing incident, and she decided getting out of the water was the better option.

She turned towards the surface, kicking her feet to propel herself upwards, feeling a small impact as her wide flipper caught a passing Magikarp. _Sorry_ , she thought distantly, still trying to escape the irate Seaking. The Magikarp rolled over in the water, crossing the Seaking’s path, and found itself bounced backwards by the other Pokemon’s charge. A warbling, distressed cry sounded through the water, and Nora grimaced, but kept swimming.

The force from the evolution knocked her into a tumble, head over heels in the water until she couldn’t tell up from down, and panic clawed at her throat…

* * *

 

The next thing she saw was Ace’s ankle, and loud roars sounded from the distance.

“What…?” Ace’s ankle turned, and the big Pokemon knelt down to her.

“Are you alright?”

“My arm hurts,” she said, sitting up and pushing the cowl of the wetsuit back. “I - Seaking?”

“I don’t know what happened under the water, but I saw the Magikarp evolve and went in after you.”

She didn’t respond, just pulled her knees up to her chest, pushing her face into them.

“I hate water.”

“I know.”

“No offense.”

“None taken.”

“I have to call this in.”

“I tried to.”

She looked up at that. “You what?”

Ace wasn’t looking at her. “When I saw you were hurt, I tried to call the office to send someone.” An uneasy shift of his shoulders. “It didn’t work.”

“Ace.” He looked down at her then, expecting a joke, but seeing a soft smile on her face. “Thank you.”

“It didn’t work,” he repeated.

“I know. But you tried.” She wiped at her cheek and dug in her bag for her holocaster. “Maybe we can get you some kind of panic button. One you don’t need thumbs for.”

“Maybe.” He sat next to her, his head against her arm. “I can fight off a lot of things for you, but I’m not good for much if you’re already hurt.”

She nudged his nose with her shoulder. “Shut up. You’re the best at everything.”

“Hrmph.”


	4. Chapter 4

Krabby nests tended to be in shallow tide pools along the water’s edge, easily accessible to anyone walking the beach, and the more unscrupulous trainers (and some adults) would steal eggs, rather than go through a breeder. So part of Nora’s job, when she got rotated out near the coast, was to make sure there was a healthy nest-to-Krabby ratio.

“They’re kinda cute,” she told Ace, marking another nest down on her map.

“If you say so,” Ace grunted, standing well back to avoid damaging the fragile eggs.

A whole cluster of them scattered as they approached a small cave. Nora frowned down at her map. “There’s supposed to be a nest in there, but there’s a caution mark on the map.”

“Does it say why?”

Nora poked the little triangle a couple of times. “Nope. Maybe high tide fills the cave in?” She squinted out at the water. “That won’t be for hours, though. I just need to stick my head in.”

“Be careful,” Ace warned. He’d barely gotten the words out when an enormous Kingler charged out of the cave, waving its claws menacingly and burbling in a low, continuous growl. Ace immediately put himself between his trainer and the Pokemon, roaring in both challenge and warning. Nora scrambled backwards, out of range of the potential battle, landing hard on her butt in the sand.

“We’re not trying to hurt you!” She called to the Kingler. “We’re trying to protect your nests!”

The next few moments seemed to be in slow-motion. The Kingler swung its huge claw in a wide, sweeping arc, almost too fast to see. The blow connected with Ace’s side with a thunderous impacting sound. Ace’s eyes went wide, then blank, and he toppled over onto the rocky outcropping with a sickening thud.

“Ace!” Nora’s voice was almost a scream as she dove towards her partner. She yanked a potion out of a pouch on her belt, trying to spray him with it, but the Kingler scuttled towards her and she narrowly avoiding a swing of its smaller claw. “Shit fuck damn,” she chanted under her breath, fumbling on her belt for Ace’s Pokeball.

With him safely recalled, she snatched her backpack off a nearby rock and ran. Fighting for traction on the sand, dodging tourists and trainers as she rushed desperately towards town and the Pokecenter.

* * *

 

Gasping out her KHRMA credentials got Ace’s Pokeball into a nurse’s hands that much faster, and she slumped in a corner of the waiting room, taking big gulps of air and trying, much to her consternation, not to cry. He’d just been knocked out, it happened to lots of Pokemon, they were all fine, and he would be too. The logic held, but it didn’t stop the tears from threatening to spill.

After a while, a nurse brought her a bottle of water, which she accepted gratefully. “Ace,” she asked, throat still raw. “How - “

“He’ll be fine,” she assured Nora. “Got the wind knocked out of him, and he’s got a nice-sized bump on his head, but as soon as his levels normalize he’ll be good to go.” Nora didn’t know what these “levels” were, and didn’t care. Ace was okay.

“What a cute Krabby!” Nora blinked as the nurse reached past her to rub between the front spikes of a Krabby perched on her bag. “Keeping your trainer company while she waits?”

Nora didn’t have to try to respond, as the nurse headed back for her station, and she blinked at the little Pokemon on her backpack. “Hey there, little friend.” She imitated the nurse’s motions, getting a pleased sort of bubbling noise in return. “Did I accidentally kidnap you?” The Krabby waved its claws at her. “I’ll take you back as soon as I see Ace, okay?”

The Krabby’s claws clicked at her, and she sat back, startled. With surprising speed, the little Pokemon scuttled off her bag and onto her lap, tapping at the Pokeballs on her belt.

“You...you want me to catch you?” More claw waving. “To be relocated, to a new beach?” Click-click. “To...travel with me? As your trainer?” Wave.

Nora was a little stunned. She hadn’t caught a personal Pokemon since she’d given up the League trail, more years ago than she cared to think about. It wasn’t against agency regulations or anything, she just...hadn’t. The dozen or so that had stayed with her were companions enough.

But the little Krabby was staring up at her, periodically tapping a Pokeball thoughtfully, and with a small smile she decided maybe they all needed a new friend. “Alright,” she said, reaching over for her bag. “You’ll have to learn human language.” The Krabby turned in a circle, waving its claws wildly. Nora found a spare Pokeball and presented it to the Pokemon in her lap. “How do you like the name ‘Tag’? As in ‘tag-along’?”

Jubilant waving, and with a kind laugh she tapped the little Pokemon - Tag - on the head with the Pokeball, and with a happy little burble it disappeared inside.

“Nora?” She startled at the sound of her name, and stood quickly, tucking Tag’s Pokeball into her belt. She was led down the hall to the room Ace was staying in, waiting to be discharged. He was on a long metal table topped with a white mattress, stretched out with his head at the end.

“You’re alright,” he sighed immediately.

“Of course I am. Why would I lug a big hero Pokemon around if I wasn’t gonna use him?” She wrapped her arms around his head, careful to mind the bruised area near the base of his ear. “Nice battle wound.”

He shifted his shoulders in what she assumed was supposed to be a shrug. “They said it’ll fade in a day or so. You’re really alright?”

She laid her head on top of his. “All fingers and toes accounted for. Plus, I made a new friend.”

“What?” She released Tag, who danced back and forth in front of Ace’s nose. “You caught a Pokemon?”

“They were attached to my bag when I grabbed it to run here,” she explained. “Said in the waiting room they wanted to travel with me.”

“I can’t remember the last time you caught something besides for work,” Ace rumbled, his eyes crossing a little as he tried to keep track of the Krabby as it bubbled and clicked at him. “She said she wanted a trainer who ran like hell to save her Pokemon, not one of the kids who just grab the next Pokeball in line.”

Nora blinked. “She said that?”

“Loosely translated.”

“Well, I mean. You already get cranky when you wake up, I wanted to go ahead and get your grumpiness over with so I wouldn’t have to deal with you. That’s all.”

Ace rumbled low under his breath, too low to fully understand, but might have been something along the lines of “you love me”. Nora thumped him (gently) on the shell and sat on the end of the table, rubbing his nose absently while Tag skittered about.

“Did you find out about that condition note?”

“Not yet, but home office is getting a very lengthy message about clarity and attention to detail.”

“Hrmph. Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this was "scissors", and I was completely at a loss until I typed it into the Bulbapedia search bar. The move "Guillotine" popped up and the rest of the fic fell into place. I will stop putting the hydrophobic lady in water-based situations soon, I swear. (Q: "If she's so hydrophobic why does she have a Water type?" A: [muffled laughter in the distance])
> 
> I put the notes at the end so I could ramble about headcanons and not make people have to scroll past them, because I HAVE THOUGHTS.
> 
> Pokecenters - Centers are able to provide free healing to young trainers because non-League member adults (think the adult trainers that jump you on the road, those guys get free heals) and government agencies pay out the nose. There are independent practices for just regular people whose Pokemon gets sick or hurt, but centers are usually more accessible. (KHRMA paid for Ace's treatment, because Nora would have raised copious amounts of hell otherwise.)
> 
> Breeding - While "oops your Pokemon fucked" still happens at daycares, usually the daycare people keep those eggs. They'll refuse service if they think you're trying to do it on purpose, too. If people actually want to breed their 'mons, they go to a specialized breeder, who ensures optimum conditions and charges an extra fee for Destiny Knots or Incense. Not usually an option for baby trainers, hence the raiding of nests (but only by big jerks, people with home training don't do that shit). Breeder Pokemon usually have some kind of "brand" - think the tattoo a female pet gets when she gets fixed - so if someone sees a kid with an obviously fresh-hatched Pokemon, they can ask to see the brand.


	5. Chapter 5

Nora stood at the end of the line, behind all of her classmates and friends. This time last year she'd have been in school. But no, this year she was twelve, school was over, and she had to either pick a Pokemon or an apprenticeship. Apprenticeship meant staying in Cerulean City, so Pokemon it was. 

The closer she got to the building, the more clearly she could smell the pool. The stinging scent of chlorine, antiseptic and overpowering. She tried to block her nose without being too obvious about it. 

It was worse inside, especially with the practice battles happening on either side of the narrow concrete path. Nora tried to make herself as small as possible, to avoid being splashed. It only kind of worked. 

She was trying very hard not to panic when she reached the desk. Misty took the form from her trembling hands and glanced over it before depositing it in a protective file folder. 

“Alright, Nora,” she said in that careful voice she always used with her. “Take your pick, hon.”

They were all water Pokemon, because of course they were. She hadn't really expected anything else. They were all splashing jovially at her, and she cringed back from the water even as Misty told them to calm down.

At the end of the row, though, was a Squirtle, standing on the edge of the pool and scowling at the others. Nora watched it for a minute, how it flatly refused to partake in anything that was happening around it. How it seemed to disapprove of the entire concept, really. 

Misty saw where she was looking and clucked her tongue sadly. “Poor guy,” she said. “He was up here last year. One of the first ones picked. Then he lost his practice battle and the kid ‘changed his mind’.” Misty’s expression told Nora exactly what she thought of that idea, and that child. “Left him here. He's…lost some of his vigor, after that.”

Nora walked over to him, skirting the edge of the splash zone the others had made, and knelt down on the concrete. He didn’t turn to face her, but instead watched her out of the corner of his eye.

“All I want is out of this city,” she told him quietly. “I don't care how many battles you lose, or if you even want to battle. We can be each other's way out, if that’s what you want.”

She reached out her hand to him. He stared at it, then at her. 

“How far do you want to go?” She had never heard a Squirtle speak before. The voice had a dark, bubbly quality to it. Not like light, airy bubbles. Deep underwater bubbles, thick and slow-rising. 

“As far as I can.”

A long, contemplative moment. “You have to give me a name.” He gestured at Misty, who had turned to the side in attempt to give them privacy while still supervising the interaction. “For the paperwork.”

Nora blinked. She'd never thought this far ahead. 

“Well. I mean. You're…you have one, don't you?”

“Not that you can pronounce.” That was a little sardonic, but not unkind.

“...right.” Nora looked down at the concrete. She could already see the pattern the stone was going to leave on her skin when she stood up. “You're…my ace-in-the-hole, right?” A blank stare from the Pokemon. “My…my dad used to say that an ace-in-the-hole was an escape route. How to get out of a bad situation, as long as you don't get caught.” She shrugged. ”So how about it, Ace?”

Another long moment. Then a slow nod, and a little reptilian hand in hers. 

“Let's go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suuuper short, but I also wrote it on my phone at 3 am, so I don't know what you want from me. 
> 
> Worldbuilding notes:   
> \- School is mandatory up to age 12, or about 6th grade. After that kids can either start their Pokemon journey, or begin secondary studies in the field of their choice. Or just flake off and become a burden on society, but there's enough glamour attached to the idea of the Pokemon journey that most kids pick that if they don't have a discipline in mind. A road trip is an excellent way to Discover Yourself, after all. ("Twelve is too young to decide what to do with your life!" I took a job aptitude test in 8th grade, my dude.) (It told me to be a concrete sculptor.)  
> \- You can absolutely return a starter Pokemon if your personalities just don't mesh, but just ditching one because it doesn't immediately do well in battle makes you a Big Jerk, and probably gets a mark put by your name for gyms and breeders to see.


End file.
